Guardvant has released the Guardvant Mobile Server (GMS) which aims to reduce the in-cab clutter and operational costs of multiple hardware platforms and displays installed on mining equipment. The GMS provides the computing power, sophisticated system architecture, redundant storage and a robust quantity and variety of inputs needed to operate multiple, concurrent on-board software applications. The GMS simultaneously hosts Guardvant’s OpGuard and ProxGuard products and third-party applications including fleet management, fire suppression alarm communications, vehicle health monitoring, and biometric access systems. With only the GMS installed in the cab plus a single touch screen display, the operator can easily control multiple on-board applications. The GMS also streamlines the installation of multiple applications and reduces maintenance downtime.
“We developed the GMS because we saw the need to support the mine’s increasing use of on-board applications to improve efficiency and productivity, while streamlining implementation and operation of those applications in the cab. As mines continue to invest in on-board technology they are looking for a solution, like GMS, to provide the support needed in one piece of hardware,” said Sergio Blacutt, Guardvant’s CEO.
The GMS was recently demonstrated at the World Mining Congress (WMC) and 30th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction and Mining (ISARC) held August 11-15, 2013 in Montreal, Canada. The demonstration was part of the Unified Shovel Display hosted by the Global Mining Standards and Guidelines Situation Awareness Working Group (www.globalminingstandards.org) as a proof of concept demonstration of multiple third-party applications sharing a common on-board hardware platform and display. The GMS was used as the common on-board server platform hosting multiple application demos. The GMS was interfaced with a Unified Shovel Display screen with four viewing panes showing application demos of fleet management, proximity detection, bucket tooth monitoring, and a presentation of the companies providing the hardware and software for the demonstration, including Guardvant, Wenco, Motion Metrics, and Azonics.